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Government plan to maintain biodiversity

MARK COLVIN: Scientists from around the world have told a major UN biodiversity conference in Japan that one-fifth of the world's vertebrates are threatened with extinction.

The report published in the journal Science says on average 50 species move closer to extinction each year due to the impacts of agricultural expansion, logging, over-exploitation and invasive alien species.

The publication coincided the Australian Government's release of a new strategy to manage the nation's biodiversity.

Meredith Griffiths reports

MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: A major UN convention is underway in Japan trying to map out a strategy to save the world's plant and animal species from extinction.

Biologist Mark Burgman says it's an area where Australia needs to pull its weight.

MARK BURGMAN: The rate of extinctions in Australia, the rate of land habitat loss and land degradation is exceeded only by a very small handful of countries in the world and these are countries that have much lower per capita incomes and much larger populations than ours.

So that if we look at ourselves on a per capita basis, the impact that Australians have on our natural environment exceeds any other place on earth. We have a third-world environment in a first-world economy.

MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: Today the Federal Government has released its Biodiversity Strategy for the next 20 years.

The Environment Minister Tony Burke has not been available to speak to PM, but in press release says the plan sets a new standard for addressing the challenges to biodiversity.

He says Australia is now one of very few countries to commit to national measurable targets for biodiversity conservation.

Professor Burgman says the plan will help; especially the targets to get more community members and Indigenous people involved in biodiversity management

MARK BURGMAN: Including people in conservation activities, improving investment by Australians in markets for ecosystems services, they're all really good ideas and they'll almost certainly make a significant contribution to conservation objectives

MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: But he says it overlooks some major issues

MARK BURGMAN: None of these 10 national targets address some of the primary drivers of threat. I don't see any undertaking that focuses on a measure of impact that relates to land clearance, we haven't said in this list that we want to reduce land clearance or have a no net loss policy.

If we admit that we can't have a not net loss policy then we should stipulate what the loss policy is rather than just leave it open to market forces and happenstance.

MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: In the next five years the Government aims to set aside an extra 600,000 square kilometres of land and water to be managed primarily for biodiversity conservation.

But Avril Bones from the Worldwide Fund For Nature says that still falls short.

AVRIL BONES: WWF internationally have a 20 per cent by 2020 target. This commitment in the new biodiversity strategy will take Australia close to that target, although we're still 16 million hectares short.

The other part that we're concerned about is there's not really a lot of information as to the level of protection that will be afforded those landscapes; so for example a piece of private land which is managed for conservation may also be subject to grazing pressure or be subject to inappropriate fire regimes.

MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: And she says the government needs to commit more money to actually implement the new strategy.

The Greens think so too. Senator Rachel Siewart is disappointed with the plan, saying its targets are vague.

RACHEL SIEWART: Reducing impact of invasive species by 10 per cent; 10 per cent of what? And that's in five years; this strategy is supposed to go for 20 years; they say it's from 2010 to 2030. It's not clear what the vision is as to where biodiversity is expected to be in 2030. You don't get the sense of urgency in this strategy.

For example we know that we are facing very, very significant problems with biodiversity in northern Australia that issue needs urgent attention, it needs urgent resources or we are going to see the next wave of extinctions in this country and it seems like what's affected other areas in the southern parts of Australia we're going to see that in northern Australia.

We don't have a clear handle on what's causing that and we certainly aren't committing the resources to address it.

MEREDITH GRIFFITHS: A Ministerial Council will review the Strategy in 2015 to see what progress is being made.